This invention relates generally to a connector member and, more particularly, to a fiber optic connector member having a removable front insulator, and to an extraction tool for releasing and withdrawing the insulator from the connector shell.
In a fiber optic connector it is desirable to provide a front insulator within the connector shell which protects the termination pins that terminate the fiber optic bundles mounted in the connector, yet is removable so that the faces of the fiber bundles can be cleaned periodically in the field while the connector is in use. The front insulator is retained in the connector shell by means of suitable resilient retention fingers on opposite sides of the shell. These fingers must be released in order to allow the front insulator to be removed from the shell. Likewise, some means is required to grip the front insulator in a positive fashion so that it can be readily withdrawn from the shell, without damaging either the insulator or the termination pins in the connector. It is the purpose of the present invention to construct the connector in such a manner that the front insulator may be removed in the field and to provide a tool which may be easily manupilated to release the retention fingers in the connector shell and positively engage the front insulator so that it may be withdrawn from the shell while the retention fingers are released by the tool.